To ask how much you plan on spending on DCs at Christmas?

[Snowflakes1122]

I ask because dc10 seems to have a lot of friends getting the iPhone 6 or 7 for Christmas. I'm talking 9/10 year old kids!

I was planning on spending £150 per child (we have 3 dcs)

What do you think is an acceptable amount to spend on your children at Christmas?

We spend 150-200 I have three DC now they also do well from inlaws my parents and aunties and uncles. My DS is from a previous relationship so he gets off his dad's side with is split again aswell if anything he admits he gets too much and never plays with it all. As it stands I couldn't possibly spent anymore I wouldn't know where to put it all and that's afters toy clear out before Christmas. Christmas isn't a competition it's a time for spending together as family.

I agree with kath. nowtsalamander that brought a lump to my throat.

my kids dream about gettin recycled paper

It depends what they ask for. A 300.00 xbox one year or a 100.00 bike the next. I have 1k saved for all of Xmas and when its gone, its gone.

Around £60 per child. They are young though/-/2 and 5. Will spend more on something big like a bike. Also would spend more on something hobby related or a one off (Wendy house).

I have 3 children, they each get around £150 spent on them. They all have birthdays quite near Christmas too so we can't afford to go mad, plus I don't think it does them any good to have too much!

DS is in year 7 and wants an iphone, but I'm inclined not to get him one just yet. It just seems a bit unnecessary at his age, plus he already has a perfectly nice 'cheap' smartphone and a tablet.

I love Christmas threads on MN. Always brings the competitively worthy and the gratuitously unpleasant out. Good chance to update the spreadsheet 😉

My children make lists in October because they're "collectors" autism with massive obsessions and some of the stuff they would like comes from places like Japan and the US with sometimes up to 28 days delivery. I tell them to put 10 things on - they won't get all of them or if they're cheap, which they mostly are then I will get an extra few bits as surprises.

Probably around £350 in total for two children 4 and 9 and then I have lots of family to buy for - small nieces and nephews as well as siblings and parents. I want to get the 4 year old a micro scooter and DS will want computer games and various geek gear e.g. a replica Zelda sword. I always try to get wind of what the children would like by the end of October so I can plan. Judge away!

I do try to keep it down they normal have five or six things to open which includes a book and some sweeties / chocolate - but I see no point in buying tat (which really does seem like a depressing waste) so I tend to get items of reasonable quality.

I do find Christmas a struggle financially and I don't really enjoy it. I find it stressful. I know we all know it's coming but there are always other things e.g. we always spend more in the Summer holidays as we are all off (both DH and me are teachers) and then there's uniforms at the end of August and new shoes - DS's birthday is in October ... January to May normally includes paying for a holiday etc.

New Year's resolution needs to be to get better at budgeting clearly!!

wineusuallyhelps - my DD sat talking over a meal in January of Yr 7, telling us how all her friends (known from primary) were making nasty comments that she wasn't as good as them as she hadn't got a Blackberry for xmas!

We had words with her about some people having more than her in life, some having less, it doesn't make them or her better or worse! (Having known these friends from primary, I was well aware than we were probably more comfortable than most, so her lack of a Blackberry wasn't about money).

Interestingly, within a year or so, the Blackberry was outdated as the in-phone, being usurped by the iPhone. As I said in my earlier post, mine have never been bought anything to keep up with friends, even though they have got key electronic items (laptop, iPad, Contract phone) eventually.

However, they also enjoy the Christmas experiences as much as presents, at almost 19 & at uni, DS is still v keen that we get tickets for our local panto. Oh yes he is!!

I disagree that kids wont appreciate presents of a few hundred pounds, mine definitely appreciate what they are bought, whether it costs £200+ or is a £1 stocking filler. They both also enjoy the whole Christmas experience as much as the presents - the food, days out, walks, seeing relatives, chilling together etc - and love that we all get stockings.

I don't get the people asking does it matter? It's a bloody talk forum not the house of commons. If people want to talk about meaningless shit it's the right place.

Anyway, about 100-130 per child (I have two boys, 1 and 3). I expect it will be a bit more when they are older, but never much more, I refuse to have children who see Christmas purely as a time to be showered in hundreds and hundreds of pounds worth of stuff. We use and discard too much as a species anyway.

nowt I have a tear in my eye too.

MsJamieFraser Sat 29-Oct-16 10:38:4

WOW thanks every so much.

UrsulaBirkin Sat 29-Oct-16 14:43:05

der-rollenshop.sportkanzler.de/

may I suggest this on line shop in germany for a scooter. Mnay MN have used this site for their scooters and even with postage ours came out at £20 cheaper each than uk stores. Great service and swift postage too.

Meh, I hate the judgey pants that come out in force on threads like these - if folks are just answering a question - and frankly the OP could not have been more direct! - then WhoTF are others to pick away at others choices?

I'll probably end up spending c.£1.5 'on DC's at Christmas' - but I have 3 DC so that's actually more like £500 each.

Concur UTTERLY with PPs vis costs get higher as they get older, but I'm chuffed that their lists still include alongside leather jackets and Hilfiger tight boxer briefs books and art materials. Thankful that the MN screech of them having tech stuff in their room/s has not dulled their brains or destroyed their sense of family

PS I offer this to those who want to hoik up judgey pants as in this instance I share them - DN (16/only child) gets £3-£5k of stuff every year (X no. of Ugg boots at £240 a pop, Superdry/Hollister/Et Al clothes, premium high end skincare and make up stuff.

Ds 13 and dd 5, will spend around £500 each plus £250 approx each on clothes.
Everything we buy is well thought out and wanted, can't stand tat.

My DS is 2.5 and he will get around £60-£70 spent on him this year, two main wooden presents, one of which is second hand because I thought it was a lot better than the new ones I could find.

DD will be under 1 and so I'm thinking just a nice teddy and some clothes to maybe play with (but aren't really presents).

Last year I went nuts. DS wouldn't open his presents after the first one and most got put away for his birthday as he cried
I've learned this year to buy a few select presents I know he'll love and actually want to play with rather than just a load of pointless crap to open.

I stick to about £100 per child and about £20 each for nieces and nephews. We do bigger presents for birthdays where I would spend say, £300 per child but wouldn't ever do so for Xmas. It's not relative to income, we're very high earners I just don't feel comfortable giving that level of gifts

One other thought - my DC know they are pretty fortunate and also appreciate the fact that we share that good fortune. Last Christmas they each pitched in £XY of their own savings towards us being able to gift all that is needed for Christmas but couldn't afforded for whatever reason (EG main gift for each DC/filled stockings/M&S voucher for Christmas food) for another family.

Folks should spend whatever works for them, that does not get them into debt and also - ideally and if able to - help others out (IMHO).

£50 each on the 3 year old and the 13 year old and I feel shitter about it every time I see one of these threads, I know the teenagers friends will be getting hundreds worth of designer gear and top of the range gadgets and they'll have extended family to spoil them too. I just feel awful because its my fault neither myself nor partner can work and have to survive on ESA and they deserve to have the same as their friends not be short changed because Mums a fucking psycho.

Approx 2k

Quite a lot of comments suggesting that those spending a few hundred per child must be getting 'piles of tat' just so that there's a huge amount to open.

I spend a decent enough amount - I really don't know exactly but I imagine between £500-£1000 for dc aged 8 and 6.

I never ever buy stuff for the sake of it though and there's not even 'piles' of presents.

What my dc have asked for for Xmas:
Xbox1 - main present shared - £300.
Fifa 17 - £50 (ish?)
New football kit each - £140

That's approaching £500 for gifts I could almost fit in my handbag

They're grateful for any gift they have, but I do completely dispute that a few hundred quit automatically means piles and piles of crap.

How lovely Lady stoic. I put £200 per month away for Xmas/Holidays. So total Xmas budget is around £800 to £1.5 k depending what else we have done that year. Broken down its : £75 tree, £50 turkey, £100 other food and drink, £200 my family, £200 dh'so family leaving £450 ish for the 4 of us the dcs probably get £150 each (£75 main present £75 bits) and dh and I might spend £50 each on each other. In a good year more in a lean year (2009) less.

Yes giddy I spend about that but I hate tat. One year we bought a trampoline, xbox and handful of sweets. All loved by the dc. I always say I'm cutting down but it never happens.

Seeing as we're talking about Xmas, I'm going to make one recommendation, especially for those on a budget (for younger kids):

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hobbycraft-Colour-In-Cardboard-Paper-Shop-Playhouse-Build-Decorate-Play-Toy-/111813499996

There are loads of different versions you can get online or from places like Poundstretcher or B&M, for £10 or less.

We've got one every Xmas for the past few years and the dc love it - last year they were 5 and 7 and it was still a massive hit, getting hours and hours of use. It usually lasts about 3-4 months for us before it's one block of colour and getting tatty enough to (discreetly) get rid of.

I plan on getting another this year - I think ds1 (nearly 9) may be over it now, but I know ds2 (6) will still love it.

£50 to £100, 2 teenage boys.

It depends on what they want/need. This year DS1(14) and DS2(12) are both having laptops, so I will spend slightly more than usual as these are things they need for school work. I wouldn't spend for the sake of spending.